News Brief

ISLAMABAD (APP): ADB Mission here on Thursday appreciated the successful implementation of its funded projects by ERRA and acknowledged the expertise and strength of the organization developed over years. The mission expressed these views during its visit to ERRA. Deputy Chairman ERRA reviewed the role of ADB in reconstruction and rehabilitation of earthquake affected areas since, 2005. A detailed briefing was given on ADB funding and successful completion of ERRA's flagship Rural Housing Program of which ADB was a major partner, community development, capacity building, livelihood, legal aid program for affectees and enabling communities for better disaster preparedness. The members of the mission were also of the view that expertise developed over years should be taken as a role model for other organizations and plans be made for future effective use of trained human resource for developing countrywide capacity building for grass root enhancement of community resilience for a better future response in wake of disasters.

‘Country’s electricity demand to exceed 49,000MW by 2025’

LAHORE (Staff Reporter): GE hosted ‘GE Technology Day’ seminars in Karachi and Islamabad under the theme “Powering Pakistan, Fueling Progress” on Thursday. The events welcomed a select group of government end users, engineering, procurement and construction contractors, industry experts, power plant owners and operators, consultants and others. The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts that total electricity demand in Pakistan will rise to more than 49,000 megawatts by 2025. The government has laid out ambitious goals under Vision 2025 to increase access to electricity from 67 percent to over 90 percent of the population and to reduce average cost per unit by over 25 percent by improving the generation mix. GE highlighted the company’s extensive breadth of advanced digital industrial technologies, solutions and services that can help meet these goals.

A special highlight of the events was GE’s leading HA technology, the world’s largest and most efficient gas turbine, which has set industry benchmarks in the cost-effective conversion of fuel to electricity. The turbine helped EDF’s power plant in Bouchain, France, to achieve a world record in combined cycle efficiency of 62.22 percent. It has undergone full-speed, full-load validation tests at extreme conditions well beyond those encountered while in service and completed more than 12,000 operating hours. Sixty HA units have already been ordered to date by more than 15 customers across 15 countries, including Pakistan, the US, Brazil, Japan, Bahrain, China and others.

LCCI welcomes pledge to make CPEC successful

LAHORE (Staff Reporter): The Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) on Thursday welcomed the Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Bajwa’s pledge to make China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) successful. LCCI President Abdul Basit, Senior Vice President Amjad Ali Jawa and Vice President Muhammad Nasir Hameed Khan said that the government’s and military’s commitment to the CPEC has given a obvious message to the anti-Pakistan elements and made it clear that no conspiracy against this project would be tolerated. “Government and military deserve appreciation for safeguarding the interests of Pakistan and for laying a new foundation of progress and prosperity in the country”, the LCCI office-bearers said. They said that timely completion of CPEC will start a new era of development and prosperity in the country. They said that CPEC is now not only a game changer. It is changing the world order as even countries are wishing to be part of it whom with Pakistan has just formal relations.

The LCCI office-bearers said that timely completion of CPEC will begin a new era of development in all provinces of the country. They said that this project will also help country get rid of the energy crisis.

They said that CPEC is truly a herald of economic development, peace and prosperity in the region, adding that unlike some other countries of South Asia, Pakistan believes in focusing its energies on peace and inclusiveness, rather than divisive competition. He was apparently referring to India which publicly opposes the multibillion-dollar project.

The LCCI office-bearers said the Chinese investment in various fields including energy, infrastructure, Gwadar port and special economic zones, can lay the foundation of a fast-developing Pakistan if the opportunity was optimally utilised.

PCMA concerned over closure of EDB

LAHORE (Staff Reporter): The Pakistan Chemical Manufacturers Association (PCMA) has expressed grave concern on government consideration to disband the Engineering Development Board (EDB). Iqbal Kidwai, Secretary General and Chief Operating Officer of PCMA, in a press statement issued here, has urged the government to continue operation of EDB, as it is the only government organisation taking care of the matters related to Chemical Industry. The PCMA secretary general acknowledged that EDB had been on board with PCMA regarding NCC issue and conveying the Chemical industry’s viewpoint fairly to the government on the basic need of chemical industry. “The concept paper of NCC, submitted to the EDB, has been taken up with Ministry of Industries and Production and we are afraid that closure of EDB would also close the process of establishing NCC in Pakistan”, Kidwai said adding that the similar fears are prevailing in chemical industry on Chemical vision 2030 that carries optimistic scope of growth for chemical industry, but would go in dole-drum in absence of EDB.

He further said that the engineering industry was in dire need of government patronage for development of engineering goods and services on modern lines in Pakistan to become a technologically sound and globally integrated industry. The EDB, however, was a great source of the required support from the government side and its sudden closure would be felt as a great disappointment in the industry at large, he said. He urged the government to revise its decision in line with opinion of the business community’s prime body; the FPCCI.